[The Road] Gemma's Choice [Talen]

[Tabarnac]

55th Summer, 511 A.V. It was late and the watch grew long, but at least Talen had an able companion for the night. It wasn't Zagary, true, but Perras was as good as Zagary, though better with a bow and smaller blades. Tonight they were walking the western lip of the the chasm that became the Road. Footing was treacherous and the light from the moon failed erratically as swift-moving clouds scudded past on Zulrav's errands. Of course, nothing exciting happened while Perras was there except for the threat of a turned ankle. But when he stepped away to make water, never out of earshot, of course, Talen thought he heard noises. Of course, his response was trained into him: be quiet, be still, observe. Over the faint splatter of urine against rock and rustling in the grass, he could hear a woman's voice quietly pleading. "...not safe..." she said, whoever she was, and, "...go back home..." "...favorite," she promised, then yelped at the sharp snap of stone. With time, her words came in greater patches until it was all mostly intelligible. "We really shouldn't be out here, my love. Captain's orders. Let's go home. I'll make you some honeycakes. Theo's sage honey is delicious right now. I have a whole bottle. Ouch... not so tight, please..." The litany continued and finally he caught sight of a woman with her arm stretched out and down, but whatever had her attention and her hand was hidden by clouds covering the moon again.

[Talen Stirling]

Talen breathed slowly and deeply, attempting to keep it steady as he crouched down. He was aware of his sword and shield, and took hold of both as he crouched, moved them into a firm position and let go. He then moved his hands down on the ground for added support and listened even more intently. The conversation was quite low, but when he stopped moving completely it was audible over the faint sounds of the wind and Perras' stepping off. He wanted to step in; to see whether it was a pair of lovers, a mother and child or something else with a woman lost far on the road. However, that would be wrong. He should listen in to see what he could learn, and only step up when Perras returned or if they were about to leave. Which at least the one of them obviously wanted to. There was something eerie about the whole thing; and he couldn't quite lose the memory that the laughter he'd heard on The Road had been a child's. Talen had never been the sneakiest person, but waiting for Perras and being unable to see one of the two having the conversation was unnerving. He inspected the woman as he listened, trying to recognise her through the gloomy darkness. He was quite immobile, and he could feel how his joints very quickly were growing stiff from the awkward frozen position he was crouching in. He lifted his limbs one at a time, to regain blood flow in them before he fell or became unable to move quickly when it was neccesary. Perras had to be returning soon, and Talen lifted a silencing palm towards the brush he had walked into as soon as the sound of falling water stopped. The Watch had a series of simple handsigns like any competent group of soldiers, a raised palm meaning stop and a lowered one meaning crouch and silence. It would be unfortunate if Perras bustled over and gave them away before he had a time to become aware of the situation.

[Tabarnac]

ApologiesI had tried to respond to this awhile ago, but my browser crashed and I went to bed upset. Then I must have forgotten that I still owed you a post. Mea culpa! Perras dropped to an immediate crouch at Talen's gesture. Military discipline was bred into the Denvali, and this summer was cursed as far as most people were concerned between Zith attacks on their favorite farm, bloody messages on the walls of the Road, murdered children, and strange magical malfunctions. Though the second shape was obscured by the dark, he made an all but silent noise of alarm, then leaned over to whisper in Talen's ear, his sibilants purposefully blunted as those were some of the most easily audible. "Gemma Thwyft," he informed his companion. "Mother of dead Mihai." Gemma Swyft had been ravaged by the death of her son, and had been kept in the Temple of Nikali since Cian Noc had declared her son dead and gone. While many erroneously concluded that the Temple was a dolled up whorehouse, Master Justus and his people were healers of mind and spirit, ferreting out the needs that people didn't even realize they had and helping to fulfill them. He had been worried that she might kill herself. This could only be bad... Suddenly the shadow hunched and Gemma cried out, muffling her own voice with her hand. Perras and Talen could feel invisible eyes on them. This could definitely only be bad...

[Talen Stirling]

AbsolutionEgo te absolvo a peccatis tuis! Talen's reaction to the fact that this was the murdered child's was surprise, and more worries. She had been brought to the temple in complete and utter misery, yet all of a sudden she was on The Road talking to an invisible figure. There was no way it wasn't related. Stories and imaginary images of ghosts, the raised dead and demons flickered in his mind but he kept silent and listened as best he could. Perhaps whatever it was that had killed the child wasn't done with it, or the his still living family. Talen shivered, with equal fear and anger. His heartbeat soon felt like a drum, perhaps he and Perras would be able to actually do something about the thing. Whatever it was. As soon as they were discovered, he didn't hesitate. He couldn't hesitate, the adrenaline and his strained muscles forced him to step up and forward hand still on his sword hilt taking a harder grip. His eyes were focused upon the figure that appeared from the shadows as he called out a command for the figure to hold still.

[Tabarnac]

RequiemPie Lars, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem. PS I found your school on Google Maps. I'm... watching you. Perras cursed under his breath as soon as Talen moved. It was not a mistake, but it was a dangerous, disgusting situation. His bow was already strung, but he got it handy as he stood up, nocking an arrow, and sighting the shadow that clung to Gemma. She and the creature looked up in their direction. The moonlight lit her up like a pale beacon, fear and confusion on her face, while the thing behind her remained shadowy as if the light refused to touch it. "Gemma!" he shouted as Talen began to scale down the wall. He covered his partner and tried to aim for the shadow. The light was passable, but inconsistent. This was not a good night. "What is that with you? Step away!"

[Talen Stirling]

He crawled down slowly, pulling the hilt of the sword free of the scabbard so he could draw quickly. But otherwise approaching tentatively, each second feeling like minutes. Whatever the thing in the shadows was, he was terrified. Not as much for himself as for Gemma in it's arms, looking like a picture of the emotions that he was in no position to express. He tried to discern the figure, but whatever it was it's presence alone seemed to avoid the moonlight and wrap shadows around it. Instinctively, he knew it was wrong. As Perras yelled, he was more than ready to draw and jump in to attempt to prevent it from hurting Gemma. It wasn't heroism so much as training and instinct, kill or be killed, strike first not to be struck down. He felt confident with Perras arrows ready behind him. He would kill that thing before it killed anyone else, yet this night was cursed from the start as long as the thing had a hostage in it's grip.

[Tabarnac]

Neither Gemma nor the thing seemed keen on listening to Perras, so he knelt and continued to attempt a clear line-of-sight. There was the off chance that it was all innocent, but after this summer and the circumstances, that seemed highly unlikely. When Talen got to the ground, a fancy feat of sightless wall scaling, Perras was still trying to talk sense into the bereaved mother, but she merely stepped protectively in front of the Other, and shook her head. "You can't hurt him, please... Not again..." As she backed up, Perras knew absolutely that this was wrong. Talen must too, he hoped. She was Denvali, was Gemma Swyft, and to see her begging without a weapon in hand was a strange and unnerving experience for the Denvali men. Certainly there were softer women in their settlement, but such softness was oft relegated to the bedroom or the nursing of children. Kalea was a hard country, and it bred hardy women. Not weaklings. The thing clutched at her and she gasped, but it kept her between it and the soldiers. Call it a premonition, but suddenly the adrenaline or something else made Perras feel sick with dread certainty. "Tal..."

[Talen Stirling]

Talen had underestimated the cliff in the darkness, both steepness and height, and he felt rock slide beneath him. Instead of a careful approach he came sliding down the rockface with a few pebbles, landing heavily. It was painful, but the hard sharp rock was mostly blocked off by his leather armour. He got to his feet quickly and stepped up a half step before Gemma spoke. For a second, her words made no sense but then dread struck Talen as he guessed at what it was behind her. Mihai, maybe? The way she stood there shivering, apparently wanting to protect the creature from repeated injury scared him. He hunched abit, and grabbed clumsily at the leather strap holding his shield on his back. His hands felt stiff, sweaty and uncontrollable. It was quite wrong, whatever curse she was under or madness had grasped her he had no way how to deal with something like this. How could she, one of their own stand in the way in this manner? She said Tal, presumably to call out to him but he felt like screaming back. "Gemma, please?" He voiced the unspoken request softly, sending her an appealing sad stare, although expecting nothing good to come of it. This was all wrong.

[Tabarnac]

Eventually the sting of his palms warmed with blood as well, another perk to scaling rocky walls in the light of the indifferent moon. But even as he spoke calmly and advanced upon them, Gemma backed away, farther down the Road to fabled Sultros, as if the dead end weren't there waiting for them. The thing whispered, and even Perras on the escarpment could hear the slithering sibilants if not the words. Gemma muttered back, shaking her head even as her arms spread to urge it backward like a mother duck guiding an errant duckling, though she was still facing Talen and, by extension, the archer on high, staying between them and what she imagined was her son. "You must be mistaken..." Talen heard. "Couldn't... No, he wouldn't... Little man, please..." But finally she just listened, making little moans in the back of her throat and shaking her head from side to side, at first gently, but with greater violence. "No...!" Her head swung up, eyes dark sockets where the moonlight could not find them as she stared directly at Talen. She stopped moving. "It was you?" she asked, brokenly. "You hurt my boy?"

[Talen Stirling]

Talen halted a few steps away, and stood in the darkness gripped by fear and hesitation. The thing was whispering, slithering words incomprehensible to him but apparently not to Gemma. He was worried now, the blood flowing from his hands wouldn't stop because of his hemophilia and even if it were mere scratches the loss of it would become dangerous in a matter of minutes rather than hours. He reached up for his scarf even as he heard Gemma protest, taking it off and wrapping it around his off-hand as tightly as he could. The end of it went below the bandage once making the simplest of knots. Most of the wounds were on that hand. It was the one he had used to support his climb and tried to slow down his fall with. The pain bit angrily, yet it wasn't nearly as urgent or as terrifying as whatever was now happening before him. Who would do what? What lies were it spreading?[/i] Suddenly, Gemma's head flew up as she accused him in frozen anguish. Talen stared, shock gripping him for a moment. "N.. No! Gemma, it's me, Talen!? I would never..!" He raised a hand to ward off the accusation, a hand dripping with blood.